Letting go, Moving on
by mimizmagic
Summary: One Take, maybe? Massie in high school, dropping her alpha-tude and realizing she needs to be a better friend. How does she learn this? A heart-breaking BF teaches her : Read and Review telling me if you liked it and if I should make it a whole story 3


**Octavian High Academy**

**Courtyard**

**April 15, 5:36 pm**

Massie Block's heels clicked as she raced down OHA's coblestone back stairs that led to the open courtyard. Three years ago when she was still a freshman, the courtyard had seemed so beautiful- like something straight out of a classic book. But now the uneven concrete and rose thorns poking out of every crack on the ground didn't seem so beauitful. They just seemed annoying and made it impossible for her to run in her eight-inch Choos. But running in heels, tripping on her long skirt, and being stabbed a billion times with thorns seemed like nothing compared to what she was doing; probably the hardest thing in her life.

"Derrington, wait!" She yelled again, wondering if anyone heard her. If they did, they didn't show it. The courtyard and back garden was empty of life- with the exeption of all the blooming plants- and noise.

Once again, Massie tripped on her skirt and was sent tumbling onto the hard ground with a helpless yelp. She pulled out her arms just in time, her palms slapping the ground, hard. She sat down on the ground, pulling up her ankle-length purple skirt up to her mid-thigh and examined her knees. They were both pink and a bit cut up from hitting the ground so hard. Cursing silently, Massie got up in the manner of a drunk. She looked up and saw that Derrington had stopped; but looked annoyed. "Are you okay?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Yeah," Massie breathed, watching his face for any emotion. She hated seeing Derrington like this- he rarely got angry at her and if he did, she had her ways of getting him happy again. But those ways seemed useless now, looking into his cold face. His big, brown eyes, the one's that had always reminded Massie of a puppy's were narrowed and glaring at her with an impossible force, his mouth made into a grim line, his dimples vanished under sharp cheekbones. She hadn't noticed before, but Derrington had really changed since Massie had first met him. He was taller, leaner, and so unlike his old semi-chubby soccer player self that she wondered what had changed him so much.

"What?" He snapped finally. Massie hadn't realized she had gone silent for so long. She looked down at her shoes to clear her head and started talking.

"I'm sorry," she croaked, feeling her eyes fill up with hot tears fighting to come out. Instead of softening, Derrington's eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "I really am, Derrington-" Massie started but was cut off by him.

"I know you are, Massie," he sighed, holding his head in his hand. He reminded Massie of her father whenever he was dissappointed in her for spending too much money or going out too late. "That's what makes it so hard," Derrington continued.

" Makes w_hat _so hard?" Massie demanded, colder than she wished. She swallowed hard and waited for him to talk. Her fingertips had gone numb for an unknown reason and she felt like she was floating high above the clouds, staring down at herself in pity.

"B-breaking up with you," Derrington said, his voice hoarse. Suddenly, Massie's vision turned black. She wondered if she had fainted out of shock but then realized her tears were blocking her sight. She was crying.

"Breaking up with me?" She asked, already knowing that that was what he had said. She didn't know what to say- should she yell at him because he was rejecting her, cry and beg for him to take her back, or just stay silent, praying this was just a horrible nightmare and she would soon wake up to her perfect boyfriend staring back lovingly at her.

"Massie? Are you alright?" Derrington's voice brought her back to reality. She shook her head and wiped her tears, trying to clear her thoughts.

"No," she muttered. "I'm not alright," she faced him again with her brown eyes drooping in sadness. Derrington had to look away to hide his own emotions.

He cleared his throat loudly. "Well, you're gonna have to move on," he said in as much confidence as he could muster up in a moment like this. "I can't be with you if you're going to be the same mean, bitchy bully as before," he added. Massie felt her heart shatter in her chest, scattering it's pieces on the ground until they turned to a fine dust that would be put in the bullet that would be used to only pierce her chest again. "I thought you changed. I thought you matured and were... different, you know?" He was having trouble composing himself.

Massie didn't want to hear anymore, but she couldn't just run away. She had to face her problem head on just like she always did. No matter how hard it was for her.

"I was wrong, Massie," Derrington whispered. "You still only care about being on the top of the popularity chain. You don't care about your friends, or me, or anyone but _yourself_," he finished, his face contorted as if it pained him to be saying such awful things to his girlfriend. Ahem, ex-girlfriend.

"No," Massie muttered weakly. Derrington shook his head slowly, sending his brown waves across his forehead. All Massie could think of was the old Derrington- the one she loved. The one she cared about enough not to wear makeup in front of, the one she had spent all of her high school years with, the one who had never cared if all Massie liked was clothing and makeup. How had he changed? Why did he think she had changed?

Having nothing to say that wouldn't make her cry, Massie whispered, "I love you."

Derrington took a step forward and held her shoulders steady. Just being that close to him, Massie wondered if it was the last time she would touch him. Not wanting to miss on that last oppurtunity, she raised her hands and held his face in them. "You _loved _me," Derrington corrected. Massie felt a stream of warm tears streak down both sides of her face. "I think I should go now," Derrington said finally, letting go of her bare shoulders, which he had left handprints on. Massie wiped her eyes once again and watched as he walked away, his shoes silent as he carefully ducked under the cobblestone bridge that led the way to the front of the main building.

Massie watched even when he was gone, not wanting to let go of the memory of him. She knew she would still see him in school but that didn't make her feel any better.

"Massie!" A voice behind her called. Massie turned, praying her face wasn't blotchy from crying and her mascara wasn't running. Even though Derrington had broken up with her, it was still prom and she still had ten more minutes of it before she could drive home and cry in bed all day.

At the top of the cobblestone steps was a senior girl, Dina Davis, someone Massie knew by friends of friends. She was dressed in casual clothes, since it wasn't her grade's prom, and held a glossy card in her right hand. She smiled widely, not noticing what a mess Massie looked like. "You won!" She squealed, skipping the steps and dashing to Massie, her black waves bouncing. Massie envied her ability to smile and feel happy at this moment.

"Won what?" Massie asked, feeling only half-conscious of the world around her.

"Prom queen! You won," Dina held Massie by her wrists and waved the glossy card in her face.

"What?" Massie asked with a frown. She had totally forgotten about prom king and queen. What had seemed so important an hour ago seemed like a childish memory now.

"Come on, you've got to get your crown," Dina pulled her up the stairs, stumbling again. She stopped suddenly, halfway up. "But first..." she reached into her back pocket and pulled out makeup wipes. She held Massie's face still as she wiped under her eyes quickly. Massie didn't pull away or do anything like herself- she just stood there and took it, just like she had taken Derrington's words. She felt nauseated thinking about it now. "There," Dina smiled. She reached into her back pocket again and pulled out a Revlon mascara tube. "In case of emergency," she explained as she swiped the wand against Massie's alread voluminous lashes. "Perfect," she grinned, tucking the mascara tube into her pocket again.

"Thanks," Massie tried to smile, managing a forced grimace.

"Don't mention it, I've been through enough breakups," Dina shrugged. At the word "breakup" Massie's heart pounded harder- and painfully. "Now come on," Dina pulled her up the stairs again.  
_

Inside the crowded auditorium, Massie allowed Dina to lead her the rest of the way through the crowds of laughing students, happy couples, and chaperones, looking totally comfortable as they sipped "punch" and chatted about "politics."

Massie spotted her friends near the stage where a guy was standing, looking totally embarassed with a large plastic crown on his head. Massie eye-messaged her friends an SOS and Alicia Rivera bounded up to Dina, taking Massie's wrist from her. "I can take her the rest of the way, thanks," she smiled. "And say hi to Rick for me, will ya?" She asked, linking her arm through Massie's and hurrying to her friends.

"What's wrong?" Claire Lyons asked with a frown the second she saw her alpha and her totally depressing face.

"I-" Massie started and was once again cut off. This time, by the headmistress. The old lady, looking like the elder version of Principal Burns, took Massie's elbow and led her up the red-velvet portable staircase up onto the stage next to the boy with the crown on.

"And now for our crowing of the prom _queen_," she faked a smile as she raised a big, plastic crown up to Massie's head.

Massie, staring out onto her classmates, felt a pang go through her. She felt so empty inside, even though she was basically winning "most popular girl in the school." Derrington was wrong, she didn't care about being on the top fo the popularity chain. Not anymore. Losing him had reminded her that she needed to keep her friends close to her- in case any of them decided to pull a "Derrington" and leave Massie feeling more depressed than an Evanescene song. She made a self-promise to forget about designer labels and start paying more attention to her friends. Friends were what she needed at moments like this and she wanted to be able to be there for them if they went through this. She realized that that was the true meaning of meaning an alpha.

Instead of feeling even stupider with a plastic crown on her perfectly-styled hair, Massie felt empowered. She grinned down at her friends who looked confused but happy that she wasn't looking so sad anymore.

_**A/N: I don't know if this will be a one-take or not, but I had the idea to write this as I played a dress- up game online (lol, I know, I'm crazy to still be playing dress up games :). I literally cried as I wrote the part about Massie and Derrington breaking up, because I was listening to Landon Austin's Where we used to run- which might not seem like suuch a sad song, but is so beautiful that I started crying. I might not seem like such a sad chapter, but for me imagining it actually happening was pretty sad :( I really hope you like it and review it because I love seeing you guys's opinions :D**_

_**Hope you are having a great end of the summer 3**_

_**~Mimi**_


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